The Wind Of Change
by Sacrificial hero
Summary: The battle has ended, but Sarah has one last thing in mind. NOTE:I wrote this before getting the secret for collecting all 108 characters.


All elements of Suikoden belong to Konami. I do not claim any right to any characters, events, or places that are copyrighted to Suikoden.

**The Wind of Change**

The ruins of the Sindar were collapsing, mirroring her ambitions, or rather the ambitions that were projected unto her. How could they have been defeated? The power of five true runes, overcome by a little boy, an aging mercenary, and a prude covered in steel. Even with all of this going on Sarah found it hard to think of anything but him, her master, the man she loved. The ground was rumbling around her, she needed to move or she'd be crushed. If only she had been stronger, if only she could've held Chris, then maybe none of this would be happening.

"_Why god? Why did you make me so weak? Why did you allow Luc to be defeated? Were you jealous of his power?" She stumbled down the hallway that lead to the main chamber of the ceremonial site and turned to her left. The ingress that led to the pedestal where the true rune of fire had been, and to the door that would bring her to him. Around her, battles raged, but it was as though she didn't see them at all. Her mind was elsewhere._

The ceiling was the same everyday, too high to reach, but just the right distance away that she could see the writing that was inscribed. _"The circle rune, order, stagnation" _These words, were written again and again in a circular fashion, surrounding the insignia of the circle rune. _"I wonder what the circle does." _A young, blonde girl wondered to herself, the same thought that she had everyday. Suddenly she heard a crash, and a young man burst through the doors that she had seen everyday for the past few years. This man was so eerily beautiful in her eyes.

This wasn't the time for reminiscing; soon she'd see him again, and then…she'd die. The door was now before her, open. She could see out into the ceremonial plateau, more importantly though…she could see him.

"LUC!" Sarah cried out, forgetting the formalities she usually displayed. She cast aside her cold demeanor in a heartbeat and ran to his side, tripping and falling beside him. His eyes were closed; his all-knowing eyes of verdant green weren't shining with their wisdom of age. Sarah trembled as she reached her right hand out to touch Luc's face. Their skin connected for the first time in what seemed to be an eternity to her. "You're still warm. Luc. Luc Wake up, you have to run!" Sarah reached over, falling on top of Luc. She reached her arms down to Luc's shoulders and began to shake him. "LUC!"

The bishop's eyelashes began to twitch, and after a moment or two, opened. The emerald sheen that Sarah craved caught her eye. She rolled off of Luc and stared at him.

"Sarah…why are you?"

Sarah shut her eyes and breathed deeply, placing her delicate hand on Luc's limp left arm.

"Tell me you're going to be alright. Tell me that you'll make it."

"Sarah, what are you doing?" _"What could she be thinking? Is she mad?!?! Is she…?" _The realization had been reached; the years of strange glances he had caught her in, her undying loyalty.

"Luc…"

"Don't say another word." This couldn't be, it was…wrong. How could she? "Sarah." Sarah lifted her hand from his arm and placed a finger to his lips.

"Luc, I've wanted to tell you for a long time. Now you understand why I so willingly followed you." She pulled herself toward him and placed her head on his chest. "I can hear your heart beating."

"_This is why they fight…for the people they care about…but in the end, everyone dies anyway."_

"But the time they have together is what makes life worthwhile." A faint blue orb floated before Luc, the presence it emitted was familiar. It burst, revealing, to his surprise. Leknaat. "I tried to teach you that Luc. Besides training you, I also tried to teach you about life. Obviously I failed somewhere along the way."

"Leknaat." Luc and Sarah said together.

"So you've come to mock me in my final hour?"

"Now my child, I've come to say goodbye to two that I cared for as my own children. You're both beyond my help now. Luc, if you hadn't been so blind to Sarah's adoration, then maybe things would have turned out differently."

"STOP IT!" Sarah's, ever-meek voice broke out into a tone that neither Luc, nor Leknaat had ever heard before. "It was not Luc's shortcoming that led to this. It was my inability to express my love for him. If you must blame someone, blame me." She turned her head, staring into Luc's eyes; they had always been the most comforting sight to her. "Luc, there is nothing in the world that I wouldn't do for you. I love you Luc." With that, the dam broke. Tears that had welled up behind her eyes were let loose.

"Luc…do you feel empty and alone now?"

The bishop bore his teeth and stared at his former mentor. "Why? Why wouldn't you just tell me what I needed to know?"

"If you don't let people learn then they will never grow."

"I'M SICK OF YOUR CLICHÉ ANSWERS! YOU COULD HAVE PREVENTED ALL OF THIS MURDER, ALL OF THIS HORROR! JUSTIFY YOUR ACTIONS!" Luc coughed, as if punctuating his sentence, and blood spilled forth from his mouth.

" When nothing happens in the world that releases negative energy it builds up. A periodical purging of evil is necessary to avert cataclysmic wars, such as the battle between sword and shield. "

"So the ends justify the means? I never took you for the sacrificing sort."

"Luc…please answer one question for me." Sarah's voice came from Luc's side, she was nuzzling his shoulder, and obviously running low on energy and would obviously be fading within minutes."

"Sarah…what is it?"

"If you had known, would it have made a difference? Would you still have done this?"

"I don't know Sarah…I just don't know." The ground began shaking violently once again; the ruins would be leveled soon. "Leknaat, there's nothing you can do?"

"As much as I would love to, my powers are not that extensive. I'm afraid I can stay here no longer Luc. I shall miss you both." With another flash of light Leknaat disappeared, leaving behind her two "children".

Luc felt a slight stirring from Sarah and he looked down. She was staring up at him with infatuation written all over her gaze. Their eyes met, and for one second before her life force faded, Luc knew what it was to be loved. Slowly her muscles rested and her body seemed to take on weight. Luc reached down and stroked her locks of platinum blonde hair.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tears leaked out from his eyes as he shut them. Luc reached down to his right hand with his left and removed his glove; he repeated the process, removing his right. He reached down and lifted Sarah's lifeless body up, resting her head beside his own. Gently he kissed her forehead and exhaled his final breath. In that second, one of the most powerful sorcerers of all time, passed into nothingness.

**The end**


End file.
